“Not good enough,” Xie Ciyou said decisively, leaving no room for negotiation.
When Shi Qing opened his eyes after completing a cultivation cycle, Xie Ciyou was already nowhere to be found. He silently stood up and left the Sword Pavilion.
Pushing open the hall doors, he found the night outside heavy and dark, with snow beginning to fall thick and fast again. Shi Qing calculated the time and guessed it was likely around midnight.
He pulled his cloak tight and buried his face in the collar, preparing to dash into the flying snow. At that moment, the glow from the glazed palace lamps outside the pavilion illuminated a white-clad figure emerging from the dense darkness. Shi Qing paused.
Xie Ciyou had not conjured a barrier to block the weather, allowing the wind and snow to whip his thin robes. In his right hand, he carried a glazed lotus lamp, and in his left, he held an umbrella. The surface of the umbrella was dusted with fluorite powder, emitting a faint luminescence in the night.
Seeing Shi Qing at the door, he walked quickly to him. “I went back to the room to get some things. I will see you back first.”
Shi Qing looked at the items in his hands; it was obvious Xie Ciyou had no use for these himself.
“Prepared for me?” he asked, taking the lamp from Xie Ciyou. Up close, the glazed lamp looked even more exquisite.
Xie Ciyou opened the umbrella, tilting it to block the wind and snow, and led Shi Qing into the night. “I need to go out for a few days.”
Shi Qing looked at the lamp in his hand. Had Xie Ciyou specifically gone back to get these because he was afraid Shi Qing would have to walk through the dark and snow alone after leaving the Sword Pavilion?
“Have you still not gathered all the ingredients for the Physique-Forging Pill?” For such a complex and heaven-defying recipe, even someone like Xie Ciyou would have to spend a significant amount of time.
Shi Qing hesitated before suggesting, “Since I can participate in the Grand Competition, perhaps it would be enough to use the spiritual plants within the secret realm to temper my body. What do you think, Immortal Master?”
“Not good enough,” Xie Ciyou replied decisively, leaving no room for negotiation. “I do not like to gamble.”
Shi Qing understood the meaning behind his words. The effects of standard body-tempering plants were limited. Even Heaven-tier plants found in secret realms could only increase physical strength by twenty to thirty percent. If that small margin failed to resist the erosion of the demonic energy, he would still explode and die once the Immortal Gate Token was removed.
Xie Ciyou said plainly, “I am only short a few items.” He paused and added, “I will return within seven days.”
As he spoke, he raised his hand, and with a flash of spiritual light from his fingertips, Shi Qing suddenly felt a wave of warmth envelop him. A similar warmth seemed to flow through his heart.
The distance from the Sword Pavilion to Xie Ciyou’s room was short, and they arrived in just a few steps.
Standing at the door, Xie Ciyou closed the umbrella and handed it to him, turning as if to leave.
Shi Qing suddenly spoke up. “Xia Chan said this is your room.”
“Yes. My return was sudden; you stay here for now,” Xie Ciyou replied calmly.
“Okay,” Shi Qing hummed softly, his face half-buried in the high, fluffy collar.
“Xia Chan will be around these few days. If you need anything, give him your instructions.”
Shi Qing wanted to thank Xie Ciyou, but felt the words were too light. He wanted to tell him to be careful, but felt it was awkward.
While he hesitated, Xie Ciyou waited for a moment. The candlelight from the glazed lamp reflected on his face, making him look like a warm jade statue of a deity, devoid of both sorrow and joy. Once he was certain Shi Qing had nothing else to say, he turned around. His silhouette vanished almost the instant he stepped into the wind and snow.
The unsaid words remained stuck in Shi Qing’s throat. Looking at the spot where the figure had disappeared, he finally took the lamp and umbrella and turned back into the room.
It was just a word of thanks, a sentence of concern. Why did I find it so awkward?
Shi Qing felt a sense of self-annoyance. His current persona was that of a weak, low-cultivation lackey who owed Xie Ciyou a debt of gratitude. Even if he were to wait on him hand and foot, it would not be overstepping. He had been so good at maintaining his persona in front of Gu Yan and the hundred sects in his past life!
The door closed, shutting the wind and snow outside. The room was very warm. The glazed lamps by the bedside and the couch were lit. Had Xie Ciyou lit those as well when he came back just now?
His gaze swept across the room and settled on the desk. The book he had read during the day was gone; Xie Ciyou must have put it away. Turning his gaze to the couch, he noticed the box was missing as well.
Was it something important? He was surprised Xie Ciyou had hidden it.
He looked around the room once more. Since the room was not large, he quickly spotted the wooden box on a bookshelf, now properly covered. The box was small and had no lock. Shi Qing felt a surge of curiosity, remembering the familiar corner he had seen earlier that day.
He reached out, but his hand stopped just before touching the box. As curious as he was, he restrained himself. He rubbed his nose, thinking of the fatigue between Xie Ciyou’s brows and his silhouette vanishing into the storm.
The man is out exhausting himself for my sake, yet here I am trying to rummage through his things. That would not be right.
After Xie Ciyou left, Shi Qing was the only one left at the summit of Aowu Pavilion. The next day, Xia Chan gave him a communication jade token so he could send messages if he needed anything. Initially, Xia Chan delivered three meals a day, but since Shi Qing had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he felt bad about bothering him and told him it was not necessary.
Today was the fifth day of Xie Ciyou’s absence. Outside, the snow was white and the sky was clear for ten thousand miles. Bored out of his mind, Shi Qing threw on his cloak and decided to visit the Library.
Located several hundred steps below the Sword Pavilion was the Library. Shi Qing walked slowly down the mountain stairs, stopping occasionally. His slender, pale fingers moved across his jade token, infusing it with spiritual power to reply to Senior Brother Jiang’s messages. The vast sea of clouds floated beneath his feet, making him feel as though he were standing at the edge of the heavens.
After replying, Shi Qing intended to put the token away. Suddenly remembering something, he activated it again and scrolled down. Sure enough, the name “Xia Chan” appeared—the token Xie Ciyou had used while impersonating him.
Shi Qing’s finger lingered over the name. He hesitated for a long time, and just before he felt he might turn to stone, he finally clicked the interface. The two had not communicated since adding each other, and the screen was blank. After a brief pause, Shi Qing sent a message.
Once it was sent, he tucked the token back into his robes and walked quickly toward the Library.
Picking an ancient text at random, he sat down at his usual spot by the window. Outside, the mountain steps and pavilions stretched downward into the distance. Shi Qing’s thoughts drifted with the view.
In the past, he and Xie Ciyou would spend half the day in the Library. Back then, he thought that since he had managed to visit the mysterious Aowu Pavilion through his master’s connections, he had to study the records of the ancient masters. Later, he became completely obsessed with the path of arrays.
After the first time he defeated Xie Ciyou by integrating arrays into actual combat, he opened his door the next morning to find Xie Ciyou waiting for him. From then on, Xie Ciyou always accompanied him to the Library. While Shi Qing drew and calculated ancient arrays, Xie Ciyou studied ancient swordsmanship.
Sometimes when he got stuck, he would ask Xie Ciyou to help him derive the arrays. Xie Ciyou was brilliant; once Shi Qing walked him through the derivation of a specific array, he quickly grasped the logic.
Many ancient arrays had been lost. Modern arrays required advance calculation and the use of talismans, items of varying elemental attributes, and specific topography. It was a tedious and time-consuming process, suitable for traps but not for instantaneous combat.
Through his research and deciphering of ancient texts at Aowu Pavilion, Shi Qing had developed arrays that could be cast almost instantly. He replaced talismans and external elemental objects with various complex miniature arrays within a larger structure, drawing spiritual energy directly from the surroundings.
This was why Shi Qing had been able to fight cultivators with much higher levels than his own. He could use Spirit-Gathering Arrays to absorb the energy of heaven and earth for himself. However, with the current spiritual veins depleting, the available energy was limited. During the last attack he suffered, he had only managed to survive by using his pupil techniques and a mix of acting and deception.
As he was thinking, the jade token in his robes vibrated. There was a new message. Shi Qing pulled it out immediately, only to find Senior Brother Jiang and the others chatting.
He moved his gaze down to the entry for Xia Chan. The latest message was the one he had just sent: “Immortal Master, is everything going smoothly?”
There was no reply yet.
Shi Qing put the token away and resumed flipping through the ancient text.
Somewhere on the continent, deep within a volcanic lava flow, magma flowed like giant serpents along the stone walls, merging into the boiling hell of molten rock below. Explosions echoed occasionally as lava splashed in all directions.
Xie Ciyou stood suspended in the air within the volcanic cavern. He pushed his spiritual power to the limit, his robes snapping loudly in the updrafts. A burst of spiritual light exploded from his fingertips. With a boom echoing from beneath a layer of ice, a massive dark shadow emerged, breaking through.
It was a flood dragon, its body as red as blood with yellow slit pupils and horns upon its head—a creature that had yet to ascend to true dragonhood.
Xie Ciyou formed a seal with both hands. The ice on the surface of the lava dissipated, and the resulting icy mist lunged toward the giant dragon, instantly binding it. The dragon thrashed, causing the very earth and mountains to shake.
Xie Ciyou closed his eyes. The Dinghui Sword returned to mid-air upon his summon and sliced through the lava once more. In a moment, the tip of the blade returned through the air, carrying a spiritual plant. Xie Ciyou turned and headed for the cavern entrance. Amidst the dragon’s earth-shaking roar, he vanished with his sword.
He pulled a cold jade box from his spatial pouch. Each spiritual plant required a box made of a specific rare material for preservation. When he had collected ingredients in the past, making the boxes alone had taken up much of his time. Fortunately, they could be reused this time, saving him a lot of effort.
After placing the plant inside and preparing to return it to the pouch, something caught Xie Ciyou’s eye. It was the Qingyun Sect jade token he had tossed inside.
He took out the token and activated it. Shi Qing’s message leaped out at him. The corners of Xie Ciyou’s previously tight lips relaxed, curling slightly upward. His dark, deep eyes shone with a brilliant light.
Xie Ciyou typed a quick reply, put the token away, and set off for the final location with renewed urgency.